The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond
South Africa’s head coach Rassie Erasmus (Image: Ian Cook – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Here’s your round-up of all the latest rugby news for the evening of Sunday, November 30.
Rassie’s message to Wales
Rassie Erasmus has backed Wales to bounce back from their long and painful rut, and establish themselves back near the top once more.
After watching his side clock up a 73-0 win, the South Africa coach believes fortunes could well change quickly, citing a similar meeting back in 1998.
“Wales have a great coach and will come back,” he said. “We know it can change and in 1998 we beat them (96-13) and then lost in 1999.”
Erasmus remembers when the team was ranked sixth in the world, and the subsequent wrath from the fans that followed.
“We were in that situation and people were burning jerseys, but the Welsh people are here,” he said.
“There is the support and the players have the fight. Get one or two wins, get on a roll and things will change.
“I know that things changed from 2016, when we were nowhere, to 2019 when we won the World Cup. Anything is possible.”
Steve Tandy admitted the margin of defeat was painful to take.
“It’s always disappointing to lose any game, but obviously the margin stings,” said Tandy.
“It’s always hard to watch where you feel it’s hard to get any grip of the game.
“It’s really raw for the group. It’s not for the want of trying or lack of effort
“We’re a proud rugby nation. We don’t want to be losing at home, let alone by that scoreline.”
Gough issues damning Wales verdict
Former Wales international Ian Gough says Saturday’s thrashing by the Springboks merely emphasises the gulf in class between Steve Tandy’s men and the world’s elite sides.
Wales were missing a few players for the humiliation in front of their own fans, but Gough believes even a full-strength side would have struggled to stop the world champions from cruising to a comfortable win.
“This was so bad,” he told BBC Radio Wales.
“For South Africa that second half was like a training ground exercise. The gulf is remarkable and there are no quick fixes for Wales.
“It was always going to be an absolute hiding to nothing, but I thought we would have scored more points.
“Even with our first team it would have been over 50 points.”
Kolisi – We know what Wales are going through
Siya Kolisi says Welsh rugby is going through a spell similar to the one South Africa suffered in 2018, and has urged fans to stick with Tandy’s side.
The current world champions lost seven times in that year, with two of those defeats coming at the hands of Wales.
Kolisi has backed Wales to rise again, and was full of praise for the players after what was a hugely convincing win.
“We respected Wales as much as we could and we needed to go out and play our game,” he said.
“We love the Welsh boys. I love Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake. We need Wales and we went through what Wales went through in 2018.
“The fans need to continue to show up, and people asking why we’re playing today. And it’s simple, for experience.”
Lake – Springboks hammering can drive us on
By Phil Blanche, PA
Captain Dewi Lake claimed Wales would be motivated rather than deflated by their embarrassing drubbing to South Africa.
Records tumbled during a one-sided Cardiff clash which saw the world champions rack up 73 unanswered points and led to yet more soul-searching in Welsh rugby.
Among them was Wales’ largest-ever home defeat, eclipsing England’s 68-14 Six Nations win that had only stood for eight months.
It was also the first time Wales had failed to score in a home Test in Cardiff since 1967, although they were ‘nilled’ earlier this year when losing 43-0 to France in Paris.
“It is never nice to walk off with the scoreboard looking like that or the game feeling like it did,” Lake said after Wales had conceded over 50 points for the third time in their four November fixtures.
“It is still quite a raw emotional dressing room. Boys are proud Welshmen, proud to put the jersey on, so coming off the field like that is tough to take.
“I don’t think it is going to ruin confidence or do anything to younger boys.
“If anything it drives you even more. Coming off the back of something like that you recognise the gap and what you have got to do.
“It also makes you never want to be in that position again which is only going to drive this group on.”
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